Vocation directors focus on Hispanic Catholics

Beth Griffin|
Catholic News Service

11/04/15

Bishop John G. Noonan of Orlando, Fla., addresses the assembly Oct. 29 at Immaculate Conception Seminary in Huntington, N.Y. Bishop Noonan was the keynote speaker on the first day of a two-day Hispanic vocations workshop sponsored by the National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors.

HUNTINGTON, N.Y. - As Jesus called His disciples in many
ways, vocation directors and seminary faculty must walk with
candidates and students to understand and meet their
individual needs as they discern their call to priesthood,
according to the bishop of Orlando, Fla.

Diocesan policies and seminary practices should accommodate
varying expressions of prayer and cultural celebrations,
particularly in the diverse and growing Hispanic Catholic
community, said Bishop John G. Noonan.

He addressed the National Conference of Diocesan Vocation
Directors Hispanic workshop Oct. 29 at the Seminary of the
Immaculate Conception in Huntington.

Bishop Noonan said differences among Hispanic cultures should
be recognized by the church, and vocation directors should
point to the example of Pope Francis as a Spanish-speaking
priest and leader.

The Irish-born bishop described his own bilingual education
at two seminaries in the Archdiocese of Miami as a cultural
eye-opener. The student bodies included Cuban immigrants and
non-Hispanics. He said the joyful, physical, noisy liturgies
and celebrations "were kind of extraordinary for an Anglo. We
never express our feelings in Ireland," he quipped.

"People clapped at Mass, people swayed, people talked. It was
all foreign to me. I embraced it and thoroughly enjoyed it,"
Bishop Noonan said.

He drew on personal experience as an immigrant seminarian,
longtime rector of his seminary alma mater and his nine-year
tenure as director of priestly life and ministry for the
Archdiocese of Miami to encourage vocation directors to
accompany candidates on their journey of discernment and
development.

Bishop Noonan said it's not necessary to speak the language
or know the culture, but priests must care for their people,
reach out and welcome them. Pastors at primarily Anglo
parishes that celebrate a single weekend Mass in Spanish need
to understand that Hispanics "are not just using the church,
it's their parish, too," he said.

"Food, music and folkloric dancing are important to a
culture, and they tear down barriers," Bishop Noonan said.
"The experience of our faith is so limited sometimes that we
don't understand what it is to celebrate multiculturalism,"
he said.

Vocation directors and seminary faculty must spend time
getting to know candidates and develop appreciation and
respect for every student. "Each has a story to tell. You
need to know as much about them as you can to set them up for
success," Bishop Noonan said.

"Don't let laws, rules and regulations overcome you," he
said. Learning disabilities and a weak educational background
are surmountable obstacles that can be addressed in houses of
formation and mitigated with support throughout the seminary
years.

"We need to walk with our young men and understand what they
need. We need to give them the hope that it's important to
let Christ into their life," he said. "Don't give up."